PTI, JFD partners to Train Divers on IMCA DMT Course 

…as FG Approves DCoE

By Wilson Macaulay, WARRI

The Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, the foremost oil and gas training  institution and the first diving school in the sub-Saharan Africa, has concluded plans to host  Diver Medical Technician (DMT) Course.

The DMT programme, which will be certified by International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), will be hosted in partnership with JFD, UK and James Fishers Nigeria, as technical partners.

In a statement signed by the Director/Chief Coordinator, PTI Offshore Technology and Energy Centre (OTEC), Dr. Michael Adegbite, the organization noted that while JFD provides the technicalities needed for the DMT, the PTI will provide the training facilities.

According to him, “JFD is a global leading underwater capability provider while Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) is a technological based institution that provides quality training, research and consultancy for the oil & gas and allied industries. In this new partnership, PTI will provide the facilities needed for the training while JFD will provide the equipment, materials and skills needed while IMCA will award the certificate after the pilot training.

The Chief Coordinator explained that the DMT, which will run as a full programme starting May, 2022, and the certificate obtained will be renewable after two years by IMCA.

“This is highly needed because commercial divers primarily make use of DMT in offshore situations when they are far away from hospitals and places for medical treatment, given the nature of their job. DMT is essential as it ensures the safety of the entire team, proactively identifying hazards, assessing divers’ needs and executing underwater emergency responses”, he stated.

According to Dr. Adegbite, “This pilot course will run for 10days. Our technical partners, JFD, will provide the instructions, the courses would be streamed online, while the demonstration will be carried out here. With these technical partners in place, we will be able to train the divers while IMCA will issue the certificate”.

Meanwhile, a Dive Centre of Excellence (DCoE) has been approved by the Federal Government, empowering the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company limited (SNEPCo), to fund the construction and equipment of the centre, which will be located in PTI, Osubi campus.

Also, the PTI technical partners, JFD will equally collaborate with the Institute in running the DCoE. The Centre, when fully in operation, will allow the Institute to train divers across multiple courses to international standard.

It will be recalled that the PTI Diving School was established in 1988, and commissioned in 1989, with initial capacity to train Commercial Divers.